Zoë Kravitz Covers ELLE’s March 2025 Issue

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Zoë Kravitz covers ELLE’s March 2025 issue and discusses her evolution as a filmmaker and creative force. In a conversation with Tyler McCall, she opens up about directing and writing her 2024 film BLINK TWICE and the deeper themes of power and trauma at its core, her passion for giving actors the freedom to break stereotypes, and how she worked to create a supportive, collaborative environment on set. Plus, Kravitz reflects on working with ex-fiancé Channing Tatum, why their breakup hasn’t changed how she feels about the film they made together, and her excitement for audiences to see different sides of him as an actor: “I love this thing that we made together, and I care for him very much. Even when you bring up how great his performance is, it warms my heart to hear that, and I’m so happy that all of it happened. I just feel so grateful that we got to go on that journey together.”

She also shares why New York City will always feel like home, her hopes for BIG LITTLE LIES Season 3, and how she stays creatively fearless in the face of rejection.

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Zoë on the inspiration behind Blink Twice, her 2024 film, which she wrote and directed and what she hopes audiences take away from it: But despite the ripped-from-the-headlines subject matter, Kravitz cautions against imagining that Blink Twice was about any one particular abuse of power. “It’s been really interesting to see the way that it’s become very timely, but it’s based on my observation of power dynamics in general,” she adds. “I find it important to say that, not to be politically correct, but I feel like we’re letting ourselves off the hook a little too easily by trying to make this about three people. I’m like, ‘Yes, people with power abuse it. This is a thing. It happens all the time. It’s still happening. And it’s not about these one or two or three people that you think it’s about, it’s about everybody.’

“People focused a lot on the island, or the party part, or the billionaires part, but those were just devices to tell the story,” she continues. “It’s really about power dynamics and having to pretend like you’re okay when you’re not, because you’re fearful of losing your life or your job or whatever.” Kravitz says she was inspired by the kinds of abuses women have faced, going all the way back to the story of Adam and Eve. The original script was “more Lord of the Flies,” she says, but she eventually worked her way to the idea of centering on trauma and repressed memories, which is when everything clicked.

Zoë on fostering a supportive and empowering environment on set as a director:  After years on other sets, Kravitz got to craft the kind of workplace she longed for, creating what she calls a “summer camp” vibe for the cast and crew. “I was trying to think about what my experience has been on set and what I find helpful, what I don’t find helpful, how I sometimes wish things were run,” she says. She knew she wanted to cultivate a workplace where her actors felt comfortable bringing ideas to the table and trying out new things.

Zoë on her relationship with ex-fiancé Channing Tatum, whom she met on the set of Blink Twice, and whether their breakup has changed how she feels about the film today: …A few short months after the release of Blink Twice, Kravitz and Tatum ended their engagement. When I ask how the breakup affected how she feels about the film today, her face crumples with surprise and confusion, the idea downright incomprehensible to her. “Not at all,” she says bluntly. “I love this thing that we made together, and I care for him very much. Even when you bring up how great his performance is, it warms my heart to hear that, and I’m so happy that all of it happened. I just feel so grateful that we got to go on that journey together.”

Zoë on ex-fiancé Channing Tatum’s career and her excitement for audiences to see different sides of him:  It’s clear how much affection Kravitz still has for Tatum. “He has so much more coming, and I think he’s in a place as an actor where he’s feeling really confident and people are seeing different sides of him,” she says with a soft smile. “He’s got a lot to offer, so I’m excited for people to keep witnessing that.”

Zoë on how she enjoys giving actors the freedom to break out of stereotypes as a writer: “As an actor, we all get stereotyped in some way. [We’re often] told, ‘This is what you’re good at, this is what you get to do.’ And so maybe after experiencing that, I subconsciously was like, ‘No, it’s so much more fun to let people do something different,’ ” Kravitz says. “As a woman, I wanted to write really fully dimensional characters and give them a lot of fun scenes to do.”

Zoë on her hopes for Big Little Lies Season 3, the HBO series starring Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman: “Everyone wants to do it, and we’re like, ‘Call us and tell us when and where,’ ” she says. “That would be amazing if that could happen this year—I would be over the moon.”

Zoë on feeling at peace in New York and what she loves about calling the city home: “I feel like I’m part of something when I’m here,” she says. “Some people find it chaotic, but I find it calming, and I find myself fed by the energy of the city. This is a place where I can be alone,  but not feel alone. It’s an incredibly special place, and I find it really inspiring. It’s not as segregated as other cities, and you’re around really different kinds of people, with different kinds of interests. Even the sound. And people go, ‘It’s noisy.’ I’m like, ‘I find it comforting.’”

Zoë on staying open to rejection and not letting it hinder her creativity: “My feelings don’t get hurt if the idea doesn’t come across or the idea doesn’t work,” she says. “I like that I feel confident enough to fall on my face with an idea. I think that’s what art is about.” That’s where the magic happens. “There’s a difference between being cocky and knowing to trust that you know what you’re doing,” she adds. “Creativity is like this invisible thread that you find, and then knowing I’ve got the thread, I’ve just got to keep following it. It’s going to show up, and that confidence is where the good s**t is.”

On newsstands March 4

[Photo Credit: Collier Schorr for ELLE Magazine – ELLE/YouTube]

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